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Moerbeck L, Parreira R, Szczotko M, Seixas G, Velez R, Dmitryjuk M, Santos AS, Domingos A, Antunes S. Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens Circulating in Peri-Domestic Areas in Mainland Portugal. Microorganisms 2024; 12:1006. [PMID: 38792834 PMCID: PMC11123758 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12051006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2024] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Over the years, tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) have garnered significant interest due to their medical, veterinary and economic importance. Additionally, TBPs have drawn attention to how these microorganisms interact with their own vectors, increasing the risk to human and animal infection of emerging and reemerging zoonoses. In this sense, ticks, which are obligate hematophagous ectoparasites, have a key role in maintaining and transmitting TBPs among humans and animals. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of neglected TBPs in mainland Portugal, namely Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp., Ehrlichia spp. and Neoehrlichia mikurensis. DNA fragments were detected in questing ticks collected from five different ecological areas under investigation. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study reports new worldwide findings, including B. bigemina infecting Ixodes frontalis, Ixodes ricinus and Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato. Additionally, it presents new findings in Portugal of N. mikurensis infecting I. ricinus and of presumably Wolbachia endosymbionts being detected in I. ricinus. Overall, there were 208 tick samples that were negative for all screened TBPs. The results herein obtained raise concerns about the circulation of neglected TBPs in mainland Portugal, especially in anthropophilic ticks, highlighting the importance of adopting a One Health perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Moerbeck
- Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL), Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal; (R.P.); (G.S.); (A.D.)
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health (LA-REAL), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL), Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ricardo Parreira
- Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL), Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal; (R.P.); (G.S.); (A.D.)
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health (LA-REAL), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL), Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Magdalena Szczotko
- Students’ Parasitology “Vermis” Science Club, Department of Medical Biology, Collegium Medicum, School of Public Health, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland;
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland;
| | - Gonçalo Seixas
- Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL), Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal; (R.P.); (G.S.); (A.D.)
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health (LA-REAL), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL), Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Rita Velez
- Centro de Estudos de Vetores e Doenças Infeciosas Dr. Francisco Cambournac, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge (CEVDI-INSA), 2965-575 Águas de Moura, Portugal; (R.V.); (A.S.S.)
| | - Małgorzata Dmitryjuk
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Oczapowskiego 1A, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland;
| | - Ana Sofia Santos
- Centro de Estudos de Vetores e Doenças Infeciosas Dr. Francisco Cambournac, Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge (CEVDI-INSA), 2965-575 Águas de Moura, Portugal; (R.V.); (A.S.S.)
- Instituto de Saúde Ambiental, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-004 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ana Domingos
- Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL), Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal; (R.P.); (G.S.); (A.D.)
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health (LA-REAL), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL), Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Sandra Antunes
- Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL), Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal; (R.P.); (G.S.); (A.D.)
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine (GHTM), Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health (LA-REAL), Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical (IHMT), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL), Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal
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Polsomboon Nelson S, Ergunay K, Bourke BP, Reinbold-Wasson DD, Caicedo-Quiroga L, Kirkitadze G, Chunashvili T, Tucker CL, Linton YM. Nanopore-based metagenomics reveal a new Rickettsia in Europe. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2024; 15:102305. [PMID: 38150911 DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2023.102305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Accurate identification of tick-borne bacteria, including those associated with rickettsioses, pose significant challenges due to the polymicrobial and polyvectoral nature of the infections. We aimed to carry out a comparative evaluation of a non-targeted metagenomic approach by nanopore sequencing (NS) and commonly used PCR assays amplifying Rickettsia genes in field-collected ticks. The study included a total of 310 ticks, originating from Poland (44.2 %) and Bulgaria (55.8 %). Samples comprised 7 species, the majority of which were Ixodes ricinus (62.9 %), followed by Dermacentor reticulatus (21.2 %). Screening was carried out in 55 pools, using total nucleic acid extractions from individual ticks. NS and ompA/gltA PCRs identified Rickettsia species in 47.3 % and 54.5 % of the pools, respectively. The most frequently detected species were Rickettsia asiatica (27.2 %) and Rickettsia raoultii (21.8 %), followed by Rickettsia monacensis (3.6 %), Rickettsia helvetica (1.8 %), Rickettsia massiliae (1.8 %) and Rickettsia tillamookensis (1.8 %). Phylogeny construction on mutS, uvrD, argS and virB4 sequences and a follow-up deep sequencing further supported R. asiatica identification, documented in Europe for the first time. NS further enabled detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum (9.1 %), Coxiella burnetii (5.4 %) and Neoehrlichia mikurensis (1.8 %), as well as various endosymbionts of Rickettsia and Coxiella. Co-detection of multiple rickettsial and non-rickettsial bacteria were observed in 16.4 % of the pools with chromosome and plasmid-based contigs. In conclusion, non-targeted metagenomic sequencing was documented as a robust strategy capable of providing a broader view of the tick-borne bacterial pathogen spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suppaluck Polsomboon Nelson
- Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit (WRBU), Smithsonian Institution, Museum Support Center, Suitland, MD, USA; Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Silver Spring, MD, USA; Smithsonian Institution, Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Washington, DC, USA
| | - Koray Ergunay
- Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit (WRBU), Smithsonian Institution, Museum Support Center, Suitland, MD, USA; Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Silver Spring, MD, USA; Smithsonian Institution, Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Washington, DC, USA; Hacettepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Brian P Bourke
- Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit (WRBU), Smithsonian Institution, Museum Support Center, Suitland, MD, USA; Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Silver Spring, MD, USA; Smithsonian Institution, Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Laura Caicedo-Quiroga
- Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit (WRBU), Smithsonian Institution, Museum Support Center, Suitland, MD, USA; Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Silver Spring, MD, USA; Smithsonian Institution, Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Washington, DC, USA
| | - Giorgi Kirkitadze
- U.S. Army Medical Research Directorate - Georgia (USAMRD-G), Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Tamar Chunashvili
- U.S. Army Medical Research Directorate - Georgia (USAMRD-G), Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Cynthia L Tucker
- Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit (WRBU), Smithsonian Institution, Museum Support Center, Suitland, MD, USA; Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Yvonne-Marie Linton
- Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit (WRBU), Smithsonian Institution, Museum Support Center, Suitland, MD, USA; Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Silver Spring, MD, USA; Smithsonian Institution, Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), Washington, DC, USA
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Athira KK, Anis KV, Aneesh EM. Molecular characterization of Amblyomma geoemydae using CO1 mitochondrial gene to validate phenotypic taxonomical evaluation. J Parasit Dis 2023; 47:376-386. [PMID: 37181408 PMCID: PMC10088647 DOI: 10.1007/s12639-023-01582-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal ectoparasites are linked to the spread of serious medical and veterinary important pathogens. Our research intends to close the knowledge gap concerning the numerous ectoparasites that inhabit animals in Wayanad. Ectoparasites in animals brought to the veterinary dispensaries in Wayanad were retrieved and identified morphologically and molecularly. Using a high-quality stereomicroscope, the taxonomic features of the four following species were examined and identified: Haemaphysalis bispinosa, Rhipicephalus annulatus, R. microplus, and Amblyomma geoemydae. The important disease vector A. geoemydae was reported for the first time in Kerala. The important phenotypic characters of the highlighted species A. geoemydae are the edge of the basis capituli is circular without cornua, and the hypostomal dental formula is 2/2. The taxonomically identified four species were subjected to CO1 gene sequence analysis. The evolutionary relationship was inspected through the neighbour-joining method, and the phylogenetic tree was built through the Maximum Likelihood method. The present study has also estimated the diversity index of R. microplus, R. annulatus, H. bispinosa, and A. geoemydae. Among them, R. microplus 0.36638 have reported with the maximum diversity index score. The significance of the study is the presence of Lyme disease vector A. geoemydae, in the Wayanad District of Kerala, and it is the first report of the species from where an outbreak of Lyme disease occurred in 2013.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kumichiyil Kumaran Athira
- Centre for Research in Emerging Tropical Diseases (CRET-D), Department of Zoology, University of Calicut, Malappuram, Kerala India
- Department of Zoology, Christ College Irinjalakuda, Thrissur, Kerala India
| | | | - Embalil Mathachan Aneesh
- Centre for Research in Emerging Tropical Diseases (CRET-D), Department of Zoology, University of Calicut, Malappuram, Kerala India
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